Tag: Orthoclase

Last month I wrote about the beautiful gemstones in the quartz family like amethyst and citrine. Because quartz is so common, most everyone has heard of it and its gemstones. However, quartz is only the second most common mineral on earth. Winning the gold medal for composing over 60% of the earth’s crust is feldspar. While most feldspar that is mined or excavated is used…